Ghostwriting Jobs: Where to Find Them (+ What They Pay)

Ghostwriting is the niche that took me from Hollywood assistant to a seven-figure writing business: $300,000+ earned on Upwork, memoir projects at six-figure flat rates, and select work at $1,000/hour. So when writers ask me where the ghostwriting jobs actually are, I answer from the inside.

The short version: ghostwriting jobs live on freelance marketplaces (Upwork is where I earned my first $300K), curated job boards, and referrals once you have a track record. Entry rates start around $30–$50/hour, experienced book ghostwriters charge $15,000–$150,000+ per project, and top specialists bill $300+/hour.

What Do Ghostwriting Jobs Pay?

• Articles, blogs, and LinkedIn ghostwriting: $30–$150/hour, often on retainer for executives and founders.

• Book and memoir ghostwriting: $15,000–$150,000+ per project depending on scope and your track record. My memoir projects run six figures, and one client told me I was undercharging.

• Top-tier specialists: $300+/hour. I charge $1,000/hour for select work, a number that took a decade of receipts to earn.

Where to Find Ghostwriting Jobs

1. My job board, Make Writing Your Job. Okay, yes — I built it. But hear me out: it’s a Top 20 Business bestseller on Substack with 42,000+ subscribers, and my team hand-picks new roles five days a week, with rates from $30 to $300 an hour. No content mills. You can browse this week’s drops here, or subscribe below and they come to you.

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2. Upwork. Unfashionable, unbeatable for building a ghostwriting track record. I earned more than $300,000 there. Filter for clients with payment history, and raise your rate every few projects.

3. Referrals and your own visibility. Past a certain level, ghostwriting is a trust business: my biggest projects came from being findable and credible, not from applying. Publishing under your own name is the best ghostwriting ad there is.

How to Break Into Ghostwriting

Start with short-form ghostwriting (articles, newsletters, executive LinkedIn) to build testimonials, then climb toward books. Discretion is the product: you’ll work under NDAs, stay off the cover, and learn to bottle someone else’s voice. My full guide on how to become a ghostwriter covers positioning, portfolios, and pricing.

FAQ: Ghostwriting Jobs

Do You Need Experience to Get Ghostwriting Jobs?

You need writing proof, not ghostwriting proof. Your own blog, newsletter, or published work demonstrates voice control, and that’s what clients are buying.

How Much Do Beginner Ghostwriters Make?

Realistically $30–$50/hour on marketplaces at first. The ceiling rises fast with testimonials — I once believed charging more than $90/hour was greedy.

Are Ghostwriting Jobs Remote?

Almost always. I’ve ghostwritten for clients I met in person exactly a handful of times, and after kickoff most of my projects run entirely async.

Keep Leveling Up

Browse this week’s curated writing jobs, read how to get hired as a book ghostwriter, and if you want the whole business blueprint, that’s my book Write for Money and Power.